Sorrow of the Koopa King
by Feld0
Summary: Many years have passed since Bowser's first encounter with the Mario Bros. After yet another successful Koopa kidnapping, Mario begins to make his way to Bowser's keep. But Bowser knows that this time is different. This time, losing is not an option...


"**Sorrow of the Koopa King"**

_a short story by Feld0_

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, locations, or other entities that appear in this fan fiction. Everything and everyone used here belongs to Nintendo._

_Author's note: this story is written based on my own interpretation of the Clawdia theory. Although I've done my best to research the mythology of the Marioverse, I've had to fill in many of the gaps with opinions of my own. They may or may not agree with yours._

••• **Chapter 1 ****•••**

Bowser was sitting on his throne behind his royal desk, running his empire as usual. Various subjects of his were taking turns giving him their latest reports from all four corners of the Koopa Kingdom. A Paratroopa with a red shell was next in line. Seeing it was his turn, he marched up to Bowser and began his report,

"The region surrounding Mushroom Castle is under full Koopa control, my lord. Your brainwashing scheme worked and the Toads are too busy following our stationed troops' orders to mount a rebellion."

Bowser grinned a great, yellow-toothed smile at the sound of the good news. "Very good, general," he said, satisfied, "There is no chance of the Toads smartening up?"

"None at all, Your Smelliness. They believe everything we tell them! If you ever need them, you've got another potential army waiting for you in the Mushroom Kingdom."

"Good, very good," Bowser said. "Make sure they keep doing their menial tasks. They must not realize their princess is missing, at any cost. Here; have a little something for a job well done," he finished, pulling a small bag of coins out of a desk drawer and handing it to the Paratroopa, who accepted it politely. "Next!" the Koopa king called out, signalling that the Paratroopa's turn was over. The next of his subjects in line, a Koopatrol with a special badge on his chest that pointed out his elite status, walked up to the wide desk.

"And you are responsible for our entire fleet of airships. Tell me, how are the ships currently distributed across the land and have any of the scouts seen anything suspicious or perhaps just interesting lately?" Bowser inquired.

"Your Curiousness," the Koopatrol began, "most of the larger ships are currently docked at our galactic outpost in the centre of the universe. Sixty-three smaller ships are currently making their rounds around various lands on the planet, and thirty-two are exploring the deep reaches of space. Five of the large warships are also currently out; they are mostly serving as docking and restocking points for the smaller ships."

"Yeah, yeah, cut the details," Bowser interrupted, a bit annoyed. "I trust you know how many of my airships you're sending out and what you're doing with them. Have they found anything of interest?"

"I was just getting to that, Your Impatientness," the Koopatrol said. "Most of the reports are neutral, but one ship that recently passed through a region near a supermassive black hole reported a strange pick-up of signals that could mean there was a planet there with hidden treasure in the local vicinity, orbiting the black hole."

"Treasure? More treasure's always a good thing," Bowser replied, starting to get a little excited. "I order you to perform an in-depth investigation of the region. Send as many ships there as you need to bring back all the treasure."

The Koopatrol looked a little worried when Bowser said this. "But Your Greediness, it may be dangerous to send an armada that close to a black hole, especially one of this size. I know how much those ships cost—"

"Silence!" Bowser slammed his fist into desk with such great force that several paintings on the cold stone wall shook noticeably. "When I say you're gonna look for treasure, it means you're gonna look for treasure!"

"All right, Your Angriness! I will send a small flotilla there to find the planet and search it for this treasure."

"Good. That's what I want to hear. Now, begone with you!" Bowser gestured with his hand, irritated that a subject tried to reason with him. "Next!"

This continued on for several hours. Bowser checked up on all the nations under his rule and his various resources like this once a month. While there were a few little hiccups here and there, for the most part, the massive Koopa Kingdom was operating surprisingly smoothly. When he was finally done with the day's work, Bowser reclined his throne a bit in the now-empty chamber and took a moment to think about why he was doing everything he did, why he ruled the planet with an iron fist, and why he was always so persistent with kidnapping Peach, the gorgeous princess of the Mushroom Kingdom, envy of all who set eyes upon her. He was naturally rather spoiled and greedy, and always wanted more power and money, yes. Bowser knew this well, but he quite enjoyed being that way, actually.

No, there was a deeper reason for his many actions. A long time ago, the great king of the Koopas was a different person. He had…a partner in life, someone to share every experience with, someone who was always there for him, and someone who gave birth to eight beautiful Koopa children…

_25 years ago…_

It was a hot summer day. Bowser was out for a little fishing trip at a small lake near his newly built castle. Several Koopas were with him, serving both as his personal bodyguards and servants, as they carried his small rowboat for two as well as a plethora of fishing equipment. Bowser had always been curious what fishing was like as it was rather popular in some areas of the world. Besides, he had always wanted to eat a meal that he had caught himself rather than by one of his professionally trained hunters or fishers.

He had the boat taken to and placed in the clear water in a shallower part of the lake. Bowser dismissed his guards, telling them to return in two hours to carry the boat back to his castle when he was done fishing for the day. The five Koopas nodded and, merrily chatting with each other, headed off to relax elsewhere themselves.

Bowser, finally alone, climbed into the boat and rowed out casually to the middle of the lake, where the water was about ten metres deep. He whistled a cheerful tune to himself from his childhood while thrusting his fishing line out into the pristine, unpolluted water. He then waited for several minutes—according to a book he read on the subject earlier that day, the key to fishing was patience—but with no result. The line remained slack; and clearly, no fish were biting on to the hook.

A little frustrated at his lack of success, Bowser retracted his fishing rod and decided to just look out over the lake's surface to calm himself and revel in the glory of his natural surroundings. Never before had he realized just how beautiful the world really was. The mirror-like water reflected a clear, azure sky dotted with small clouds; a light breeze lazily swayed the grass in a small, unspoiled field at the water's edge; and further, he could see the green leaves of a peaceful forest rustling in the distance. Birds could be heard chirping from the shores and beyond, and the faint sound of a creek murmured in the background. It was a blissful moment for the young Koopa, whose life was typically spent in the monotony of his castle. Even if he didn't catch anything, he was pleased to get away from the dank, noisy confines of the keep.

But there was another beauty that outshined the organic splendour surrounding Bowser. At the banks of the lake sat a tall figure perfect in its contours and unmatched in its sheer grace. She was quietly looking out over the lake, seemingly unaware of Bowser's presence in its centre. Just like the adolescent king, the anonymous female Koopa appeared to be taking in the delightful scenery. Perhaps she was too absorbed in acknowledging it to notice him?

Her name and identity were unimportant; Bowser knew right at that moment that he had found the love of his life. He didn't need to meet her up close to sense, to _know_ that she was "the one"; he could already tell that they were destined to share a lifetime of joyful memories. And with a beauty unrivalled even by Bowser himself, he could hardly even imagine what their children would look like.

_I must not let this girl slip away_, Bowser thought. _She is mine, and I am hers. I can feel it. For too long have I only been teased by others who are giving birth to children. Now, I'll have prettier ones than any of them._

Knowing he had but a single chance, the Koopa picked up his oars and began to row back to shore…

Clawdia did give birth to the eight loveliest Koopa children in the world. It was only fair that they had parents as great as themselves.

_Oh Clawdia, why? Why did you have to leave me?_ Bowser lamented in his mind, with small tears forming in his eyes. But then, his thoughts were interrupted prematurely by a sudden rapping on his majestic door.

"Come in," Bowser said, with an unusual trace of softness in his voice, while drying his eyes with a handkerchief on his desk. The red door opened with a creaking sound and a Koopa Troopa in a cook's uniform barged in. The door fell shut again with a roomy _clang!_ as the Koopa hastily made his way to Bowser's desk.

"Your Grievingness," he began, "the kitchen is all out of beef, which you wanted a king-size portion of for dinner, and I don't believe you'd be satisfied with a vegetarian meal. I'm afraid you're going to have to choose a substitute."

Bowser kept his gaze fixed at a spot on his desk. Without looking up, he quietly said,

"Get me a fishing rod, a net, and some bait."

The Koopa, anticipating what Bowser intended to do, offered, "Sire, do you want me to send out the hunters to catch the very best fish?"

"No, don't. I want to do something myself for once in this big castle. Actually, can you leave those things by back door C-3?"

"Okay, Your Moodiness. They'll be ready in the next four minutes."

The Koopa made its way out of Bowser's chamber, leaving the great king on his royal seat. Bowser waited for the door to close before getting up and unlocking a small door at the back of the room, behind which lay a secluded storage area. The place was dark, the only light coming in from the doorway through which Bowser entered. He padded over to a large, flat box and reached into it, pulling out a wide, framed painting. Details were hard to make out in the dim light, but Bowser knew well what was in the picture. He took it back into his throne room and hung it on a bare nail on the cold, stone wall. Stepping back, he regarded the painting. His immediate family smiled back at him: the eight royal Koopa children had playfully posed in the centre of the frame, and Clawdia – oh, as beautiful as she always was! – stood near the back, holding Bowser in an affectionate, timeless embrace. The backdrop was the Dark Land's great sea of lava – the only fitting scenery for a Koopa family this harmonious.

"Clawdia," Bowser quietly whispered, "you may no longer be with us, but I will hold up my end of the vow we made at our parting. I will find the perfect mother for our children, and I won't stop trying until she accepts the great honour of raising them."

Bowser locked the storage area; and with a renewed sense of hope, exited the room. The heavy door fell shut behind him with a _clang!_.


End file.
